Collette Walsh BBC Breakfast – Jubilee Fun…

Collette Walsh BBC Breakfast: A couple of very early starts for me over the Jubilee weekend – with two early morning slots on BBC Breakfast doing the newspaper review. Thanks to the awful rain (during the outside broadcasts in London – Sunday especially) I stayed on hand till 6-9am in case they lost links etc… Well, at 86, I have the say the Queen has some energy! I only ‘worked’ two mornings and was totally pooped.

Overall, I found the whole Jubilee jamboree wonderful fun and the concert on Monday night was for me the highlight – what an absolutely brilliant advert for the UK. It was so well organised, slick and impressive (great acts and that good balance of chintz and cool – thanks Sir Cliff!) that you couldn’t not get into the spirit of it all.

Yes, we had some ‘classic’ British summer weather (wow, did it rain!!) but we also got lots of sunshine and smiles. I covered the Royal Wedding last year down in London and it was a blast… it also did wonders for our tourism. Likewise, the wonderful images beamed across the globe of the Diamond Jubilee will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on everyone.

The Royal Family (even if you feel indifference) generates over £500 million a year in tourism in the UK – money the economy seriously needs. There’s a knock-on effect too – with sales in shops, supermarkets and even fashion (the Kate factor!) – so three cheers for her Majesty – it was a right good knees up m’am.